In parallel with the North Carolina Bar Association’s Statewide Service Day on March 4, 2011, Eclipse Group patent attorneys Kevin Flynn and Nathan Letts are giving back to their community. The two attorneys are providing no-cost consultations to young companies that are working with North Carolina’s Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC). The consultations will not be on the patentability of a particular invention, but will focus on explaining to the entrepreneurs how intellectual property can be used to protect the competitive edges of their companies. There are nuts and bolts to the processes that need to be explained, else they become traps for the unwary. Even very sharp entrepreneurs with a good understanding of both business and technology need help getting oriented in the field of intellectual property. “The SBTDC organization is an asset to the state of North Carolina, and I am pleased to be able to work again with the SBTDC to help young companies” notes Kevin. Additional information on the SBTDC organization may be found at www.sbtdc.org.